Hopen (Svalbard)

Hopen is an island in the southeastern part of the Svalbard archipelago (Norway). Hopen was discovered in 1596 by Jan Cornelisz Rijp during the third expedition by Willem Barentsz, trying to find the Northeast Passage. Later, in 1613, its name was given by Thomas Marmaduke of Hull, who named it after his former command, the Hopewell.

The Norwegian Meteorological Institute since 1947 operates a staffed weather station on the island with a staff of four persons. For the welfare of the crew, there are three cabins available on the island for their use.

History
During World War II, the Luftwaffe placed a meteorological team there under cover of Operation Zitronella. Due to their remote location, the German soldiers on Hopen were the last in Europe to surrender to the allies, who had to in fact be rescued after losing radio contact almost 5 months prior.

On August 28, 1978 an early model Tupolev Tu-16 of the Soviet Air Force crashed on the island. All seven crew were killed in the accident. It was discovered two days later by the four-man Norwegian weather forecasting team. The USSR refused to admit the loss of an aircraft until the bodies of the crew were given to them. Norway transcribed the contents of the flight recorder over the objections of the Soviet government.

Environment
A significant number of polar bears are found at Hopen in the winter; moreover, the sub-population of Ursus maritimus found here is a genetically distinct taxon of polar bears associated with the Barents Sea region. Since 2003, little sea ice has surrounded the island.

Important Bird Area
The island has been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International. It supports breeding populations of black-legged kittiwakes (40,000 pairs), thick-billed guillemots (150,000 individuals) and black guillemots (1000 pairs).

Climate
Hopen has a tundra climate (Köppen climate classification ET). The average annual temperature in Hopen is -3.6 C. The average annual rainfall is 355.4 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 3.9 C, and lowest in March, at around -10.4 C. The highest temperature ever recorded in Hopen was 17.4 C on 9 July 1973; the coldest temperature ever recorded was -36.9 C on 4 March 1986.